You're my lobster
by MOPmom
Summary: This is Logan's point of view during Bridesmaids Revisited and beyond in season 6.
1. Chapter 1

Author Note: This lives in the same universe as my other story, We Were On a Break, but I don't think you have to read it to follow along here. This is Logan's point of view during Bridesmaids Revisited and beyond, told over 5 chapters. Logan's inner thoughts are in italics.

I do not own any characters, and title borrows from Friends.

* * *

Logan takes a deep breath and offers his arm to Walker. He smiles at her tentatively. Things have been awkward between them since he turned her down on New Year's Eve. They have hardly spoken since.

 _Well, all we have to do here is walk, not talk._

As Walker stumbles toward him, he realizes this may be easier said than done.

"Are you drunk?" he whispers.

"Pschaa… no…." she slurs back.

"Jesus, Walker. Let's just make it down the aisle, okay?"

"I'm good, I'm good… So your girlfriend's cute." Her tone seems a little off.

"Yeah, thanks. Okay, we're up," he says as the doors open in front of him. "You got this?"

"You know it," she answers and puts on her biggest smile.

They start down the aisle toward Josh and his brother Charlie who are waiting down front with the minister.

 _Holy shit. There must be 400 people here. I'll never find Rory in this crowd._

He and Walker separate, and he walks past Josh and Charlie toward the end of the row. He scans the bride's side, hoping to catch her eye.

Claudia and Tripp move through. His eyes flit over his mother, knowing Rory won't be sitting close to her.

Alexandra and Grant. He sees Colin with his dad and step-mom. _Wow, she's young._

Megan, the maid of honor, is solo. _I just cannot find her._

Everyone stands and turns to face Honor and Mitchum. He has never actually seen his father smile so big.

And Honor looks, well beautiful, but not like Honor. Logan tries to imagine Rory in a poufy dress with that much hair and make-up. He smiles, knowing that would never happen.

He looks back through the crowd one last time, before rotating to look at Josh and Honor.

As the ceremony begins, his mind wanders. _I don't want a wedding this big. Smaller, more intimate. No tux. Shira will die._

He listens to Josh and Honor recite the traditional vows.

 _I want to write my own vows. Rory loves my writing._

He thinks about what he would say to Rory, then shakes his head to clear the crazy.

 _We are nowhere near getting married._

He glances again through the crowd, but still no sign of her.

As the audience cheers, he snaps his head forward and realizes it is over. He follows Tripp toward the center of the aisle, where he picks up Walker.

"Hey," he whispers. "Have you seen Rory?"

"Not for a while," she whispers back as they start up the aisle.

On the walk up, he checks the groom's side just in case she wanted to avoid Shira that much. No luck.

They exit the sanctuary and move down the hall to allow the other guests to leave. He watches the entire crowd filter out.

 _I just want to see her face._

He finally taps Walker on the shoulder and asks her "Where was she last?"

"Rory? Um… Probably the dressing room? I don't know… I've had a lot of champagne."

"I'm going to go check. Would you mind looking in the restroom for me?"

"Really, Logan? Just meet her at the reception."

 _From her tone, we are definitely not okay._

"Never mind. I'll do it myself."

He weaves through the guests who are milling about and starts down the hallway toward the room where the girls got ready.

Once in the doorway, he spots her in a chair facing the wall.

 _How did she slip past me?_

"Here you are."

"Here I am," she replies monotone.

"I was looking all over for you. I didn't see you when I was walking down the aisle. Looked for you during the ceremony. Where were you?" he says as he crosses the room to stand in front of her.

"Here." She does not look up at him.

"Here? You missed the wedding?" _Did she drink too much champagne, too?_

Still not looking up, she answers. "I'll apologize to Honor later."

"Forget Honor. What's going on?"

At no answer, he leans in. "Rory?"

She finally looks up and raises her hand to stop him. "You didn't say a word. You just let me walk into a room full of girls you've had sex with."

 _FUCK._

"Oh, no wait. You only had sex with two of them. One of them you just fooled around with, whatever that means."

 _FUCK._

Her eyes are accusatory as she continues. "She spared me the exact parameters of the fooling around. You wanna fill me in?"

"Rory…" _How can I explain this?_

"You know what? Never mind. I've got a good imagination. I can figure it out."

"Okay, look-"

"I can't believe it," she interrupts him. "You didn't just cheat on me. You really cheated on me."

 _What? No._ "I didn't cheat on you." _I would never…_

She rises and looks him straight in the eye. "Oh, so you didn't sleep with-"

 _Fuck._ "No, I did. But we were broken up."

"No. You were broken up, not me. I thought we were just taking some time."

"Apart. Not seeing each other." _We have already belabored the semantics to death._

"Yes," Rory says. "Taking some time. Not seeing each other for a while. That doesn't mean 'broken up.'"

 _How many times do we have to relive my stupidity?_ "Oh, come on-"

"No. To break up, you have to tell the other person. You can't just decide that you're broken up and then go off and…"

 _She knows I thought she was the one who decided we were broken up. How is she forgetting all the times we have discussed this?_

Rory continues, "God. I can't believe I fell for all of your stupid tricks." Her voice is filled with hurt. "The coffee cart and going to my mother. You went to my mother. Why would you bother going through all that?"

 _Those were not tricks. That was hard. And humiliating._

"You've got plenty of back-up. What do you need me for?"

 _Is she serious?_

"Because I love you." _I would have thought that was perfectly obvious by now._

"No. Don't."

"Rory," he begs. "I didn't cheat on you. I didn't lie to you."

"You didn't tell me."

 _I'm a chickenshit, and I hate the thought of you being angry with me._

"Of course not. Why would I tell you? Why would I want you to be hurt and upset and angry?" _I know how I felt when I thought you were sleeping with Jess._

"Blondie. Dizzy. I love the cover. Pretending all those girls were worthless idiots."

"They are worthless idiots. Shooting their mouths off in front of you like that."

"It's not their fault!" Her voice is rising.

"It is their fault. They love doing crap like this- causing trouble." _I am going to kill Walker._

"We were only apart for like two seconds, and you managed to sleep with every one of your sister's friends. How did you even do that? I mean, did you work them in shifts? Were there charts, signals, B12 shots?"

 _Honest._

"I was depressed. I was lonely. I was upset. I've known those girls forever. It was companionship, okay? It meant nothing."

"Don't be at the apartment between 10 and 1 tomorrow so I can get my stuff." She stalks out of the room.

 _No. No. I can't go through this again._

He watches her leave, then slowly sinks down into the closest chair. His head falls into his hands.

 _I should have told her._

 _No, there was no way. "Hey Rory, I slept around over winter break because Mitchum told me that would be the best way to get over you. We cool?" That would have gone over swell._

 _God. How am I going to explain this to her? I've already told her I thought she dumped me for Jess so she knows where my head was. She's just too mad to remember… But I would feel the same way…_

"Okay, you owe me one."

Logan looks up to find Walker entering the room.

"I looked in the bathrooms for your little girlfriend. She's not here, _and_ we missed the limo to the reception. Unfortunately, I'm still kinda buzzed. Are you okay to drive?"

He just stares at her. _Is she really this dense?_

"What? You can't drive either? I mean, I guess I could try…"

"How could you tell her?"

"Tell who what?"

"Rory! Why would you tell her we slept together?"

"Because… we did. She knows who she's dating, right? I mean what's the big deal? You just started seeing her. You're allowed to have a past."

"No, Walker. We've been together for a year. I'm in love with her, and she's going to leave me after this. She just told me she's moving out."

Walker's mouth drops open. "You live together?" Her surprise is evident. "If you love her, you shouldn't cheat on her."

"I didn't. We were on a break."

"Really? I take it she doesn't see it that way?"

He puts his head back in his hands. _I will not cry in front of her._

"Oh my God. You're Ross, and I'm the copy girl!" she exclaims.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. So… I get that you're mad at me, but are you okay to drive us to the reception? Because I need to get to Tripp before Claudia does."

"Fuck my life," he mutters under his breath. "Fine. Let's go."

"Or, I mean… if _you're_ single now, maybe I don't need Tripp."

He keeps walking, ignoring her.

"So… that's a no? Alright. Tripp, it is."

They do not speak on the ride to the reception. He pulls up to the entrance and puts the Porsche in park.

"Tell Honor I'm sorry I missed it," he finally addresses her.

"You're not coming in? Honestly, Logan. Maybe you should just admit that people like us are not cut out for monogamy."

He studies her face. She seems earnest, not catty. _Is she right? Maybe I'm not capable of being a good guy in a relationship._

 _But I love her so much. I have to try._

Walker gets out of the car with a flippant "Bye."

He is finally alone to plan his next move. _Not talking after our last fight is how we ended up here. So I have to find her tonight. She's probably in Star's Hollow, trashing me to Lorelei. That bridge is definitely burned._

He pulls away from the reception, trying to determine the quickest way to the interstate.

Thirty minutes later, he exits for Stars Hollow and tries to remember how to get to Rory's house from that drunken night in the limo. He ends up driving by practically every house in town before coming to what he is sure is Lorelei's house.

Parking the car, he takes a deep breath, preparing for the humiliation to come. He walks up the steps and is about to knock, when he sees Lorelei through the window. She is on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor, singing Cyndi Lauper at the top of her lungs. There is no sign of Rory. He quickly turns around and heads back to the car.

 _Maybe she isn't telling her mom. This is embarrassing for both of us. Maybe she's with Lane. How do I figure out where Lane lives?_

He drives through the town hoping to just magically run into her. He sees the signs for Luke's Diner, slows down, and peers in. She doesn't seem to be there.

 _Where else can she be? She and Paris are still fighting. Would she call Finn? Maybe Sheila? Or Joni?_

On a whim, he drives to Rory's old apartment. He passes the "doo-wop group" in the alcove. _Why not? Saturday midnight is the obvious time for an impromptu concert. Even if she won't forgive me, Rory cannot move back here._

He trudges up the stairs, ready to grovel. _She already knows she owns me. No reason to try and have balls here._

He knocks on the door sharply. After a minute, he hears Paris call out "Who is it?"

"It's Logan," he responds.

Paris opens the door and addresses him through the chain. "Well, well, well. If it isn't New Haven's favorite whore hound."

 _She knows. Rory must be here_.

"Is Rory here?"

"Yes."

"Can I talk to her?"

"No. You can talk to me." Paris closes the door, opens the chain, and opens the door wide. Over her shoulder, he can see Rory sitting on the couch, sadness evident on her face.

"What do you want to talk about? Life? Love? Symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases?

 _Jesus Christ. Seriously?_

He ignores her and fixes his gaze on the girl he loves.

"Rory."

"Rashes? Sores? Insanity?" Paris continues.

"Five minutes! Please!" he begs.

"You know," Paris rambles on, "There's something I've always wanted to say to you, but out of respect for my friend Rory here, I've refrained. However, the circumstances seem to have changed."

 _Your friend? Didn't you throw her out on the street two months ago?_

Instead, he says "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you cheated on Rory!"

"I did not cheat on Rory." _We were on a break!_

"Are you going to deny it? Are you serious?" Paris shouts back.

"We were apart!" His voice is rising to match hers.

"Oh, please."

"We were. We weren't together. Why the hell am I even arguing with you? I don't want you back!" Paris still has her arm up blocking his way into the apartment.

"You, Logan Huntzberger, are nothing but a two-bit, spoiled waste of a trust fund. You offer nothing to women or to the world in general. If you were to disappear from the face of the world tomorrow, the only person that would miss you is your Porsche dealer."

 _Hopefully someone else would miss me._ He looks at Rory. "Wanna chime in here?"

"No, I think Paris has got it covered," Rory snorts.

 _Shit. This cannot happen again._

"Okay, that's it," he says, pushing past Paris. "Rory, I just need 60 seconds." He finally reaches her.

Paris is back at it. "No one invited you in. Get out right now before I go Bonaduce on your ass."

"I'm not going away. I'm not going anywhere. We're gonna talk." He looks into Rory's eyes, pleading. _Remember, we agreed to talk through our issues._

Doyle bursts into the apartment. "What the hell is this door doing unlocked?"

"What are you doing here?" Paris says in response.

 _At least she has someone else to yell at._

"I wanna talk to you," Doyle says quietly.

"I told you to go!" Paris shouts.

"You did, and I did. I left, and I went out, and I got drunk, and…"

 _What a clusterfuck. I have got to get her away from these lunatics._

He turns to Rory. "Can we go in the other room?" His voice is close to begging.

She is not listening, but instead intently watching the fight in front of her.

"Paris, listen to me. I am the best thing that ever happened to you," Doyle says.

"Well, if that's true, it's all uphill from here," Paris sasses back.

"You know, I didn't have to come back here begging you to talk to me. I have options. I do."

 _Strong move, Doyle._

 _Wait, why am_ _ **I**_ _listening to these lunatics?_

"In fact," Doyle continues, "I almost hooked up with a really hot chick tonight."

Rory chimes in. "I don't see how that is going to help your case, Doyle. At all. You know what? Fine. Let's take this out in the hall."

She stalks past him, and Logan follows her out of the apartment.

Rory slams the door and says "Two minutes. Go."

 _Once again, I am standing in her hallway, begging for a chance. Honest. Sincere. Contrite._

"Look, I understand that you're upset, and I really wish you hadn't found out like that, but Rory, I love you. You know that I love you. When I said that I was your boyfriend, I agreed to be faithful to you, which was a first for me. I thought it was gonna be hard, but it wasn't. Then I asked you to move in with me, and I thought _that_ was gonna be hard, but it wasn't. I have been completely faithful to you, Rory. I have not been with another girl. I have not looked at another girl. I have not even thought about another girl."

"Except for Walker, Alexandra-"

 _Alexandra?_

"We were broken up Rory."

"No, you were."

"I _thought_ we were broken up. I thought that's what the fight was. I thought that's what the separation was. Do you believe me? Do you believe that I honestly thought that we weren't together?" He feels borderline hysterical at this point.

"I guess," Rory concedes, rolling her eyes.

"So if you believe that I thought we weren't together, then do you believe, in _my_ mind, I was not cheating on you?"

She shrugs, "I guess."

"So then," he pushes through, "if you believe that in my mind, I was not cheating on you, do you think you can forget what those vipers said today, put it behind you, and just come home with me?"

 _Please. Please._

"Come on, Rory. Just come home with me. Let's just forget this crappy day ever happened. Just go home."

 _What else does she need to believe me?_

"You wanna make a pro/con list?"

"Do not mock my pro/con list!" she shouts.

"I am not mocking your pro/con list. I actually think the list will come out in my favor."

 _Because we love each other too much to end here._

Rory sighs deeply. Her face is defeated. "Well, I'd have to tell Paris I'm going."

 _Yes, please._ "Absolutely. Tell Paris you're going."

Rory turns around, opens the door, and immediately stumbles back out. "Whoa. Oh."

"What?"

"They made up. Either that or Krav Maga is way kinkier than I thought it was."

 _Finally. A smile._

"Well, you can tell her tomorrow. After all, it is tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah. I can just call her from home."

 _Home._

He feels as exhausted as Rory looks, but as she walks past him, he has to ask. "Hey. We okay?"

"Yeah," she says simply.

 _She is lying. We are not okay._

He puts his arm around her shoulders stiffly, unsure of what to say or do.

They are down the stairs before he asks, "Why is Doyle wearing your coat?" He touches her bare arm.

"Oh, it's a long story for another day."

"Do you want my jacket?" he asks as he opens the car door for her.

"No," she says curtly as she climbs in.

He shuts the door after her and walks around to his side.

"How was the reception?" she asks him as he puts his seatbelt on.

"I didn't go. I've been driving all over Connecticut looking for you."

Rory sighs and looks out her window.

The ride home is filled with deafening silence. He pulls into his parking spot and cuts the engine. Turning to her, he says, "Rory, you know I love you more than anything, right? And… we promised each other that we would be better about talking things out. Remember?"

She nods and gets out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

He silently follows her into the elevator, bracing himself for the fight he knows they have to have.

"What can I say?" he asks as trails her into the apartment.

She sits down on the couch, not responding.

"Baby, I am so sorry. I should have told you, but… we have been _so_ happy since we got back together, and… I was scared." He paces in front of her.

"How did it happen?" Rory finally asks him.

"Like… how did… I don't know what you want to know."

"I don't either. But my imagination is killing me."

 _This is such a land mine. Careful._

"Okay. Um, well… Walker. Umm…"

"When?" she demands.

"The weekend after Thanksgiving," he answers sheepishly.

"Wow. One week."

"Rory, I was so depressed. I kept imagining you screwing Jess, and I was hurt and pissed off all at the same time. We got high, and it just happened."

"Well, I wasn't fucking Jess, so…"

 _This is bad. She never says "Fuck" unless it's dirty talk._

"I know that now, but then… I thought it might help me get over losing you. It obviously didn't."

She sighs loudly. "And Claudia?"

"Actually, um, I dated her a little during my gap year, and we were drunk at her family's Christmas party, and…" he trails off.

Rory finishes for him. "It just happened. Again."

"Look, Rory. I didn't think us getting back together was even a possibility. It didn't feel like cheating. I was just trying to get on with my life. And I don't know what Alexandra said, but it's not true. She kissed me under the mistletoe at my parents' house, but I did not reciprocate. I swear. There were like five people there who could vouch for me."

She doesn't look up.

"What else can I say? They meant nothing to me, and I'm really sorry."

"Is that all? Are there any others?"

"No, that's all. Well, actually…"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she shouts.

He cringes. "Robert is probably dying to tell you that I took a girl home from a party at his apartment, but, honest to God, nothing happened. I drunkenly rambled about you and my broken heart all night."

She is quiet for a few moments.

"I feel sick, Logan. I just can't… Is Paris right? I mean, do I need to get tested for STDs? Walker seems a little… I don't want to judge her, but she said… Ugh! How could you?"

"We were on a break, Rory!"

"Are you seriously quoting Friends right now?"

"What? Oh, like the show. No… Not on purpose anyway. I guess it does apply. And of course I was careful, Rory. I always wear a condom."

"Not with me, you don't. Not every time."

"Well that's… because it's you. Ace, please," he begs, crouching down in front of her. "Just don't leave me again. I will work so hard to make this up to you."

She finally looks into his eyes, and just when he thinks they are getting somewhere-

"I'm going to take a shower," she says, getting up from the couch and walking around him.

He stands, then sits down in the seat she just vacated. She heads toward the bed removing her earrings and shoes. He watches her struggle to reach the zipper on her dress. Wordlessly, he walks over and unzips it for her. The dress falls to the floor, revealing the pink bra and thong that were certainly chosen with him in mind. She heads into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. He hears the lock flip.

 _Okay, she's pissed. Very pissed. Rightfully so. But we will get past this. We have to._

He hangs up Rory's dress, and then takes his tux off and puts it away. He pulls on a pair of pajama bottoms and sits on the bed to wait. After a few minutes, he picks up his book off his nightstand and starts to read. _Anything to clear my mind._

Twenty minutes later, Rory comes out of the bathroom completely naked. She goes to his dresser and pulls out one of his t-shirts. Slipping it over her head, she climbs into bed and turns off her light.

"Rory?" he whispers.

"Tomorrow, okay? I just want to sleep."

"Yeah, okay," he says and turns off his light. He scrunches down under the covers, knowing it will be a while before he sleeps.

A few moments later, he hears a sniffle, and looks over at Rory. She is facing away from him, and her shoulders are shaking with silent sobs.

 _I am the world's biggest jackass._

He scoots closer and puts his arms around her. "Please don't cry."

She stiffens under his arms. "Logan, don't touch me right now. I'm really…Just don't."

He rolls back over to his side of the bed. He thinks he may start crying himself. He grabs his pillow and takes it over to the couch. _She shouldn't have to share her bed with me._

He wraps a blanket around himself and listens to Rory cry.


	2. Chapter 2

Author Note: I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of it's characters. Logan's inner thoughts are in italics.

* * *

His phone rings the next morning, awaking him with a start. He grabs it off the coffee table and says "Hello!"

"So you missed the reception, and now you're no-showing the brunch?" Honor says, sounding hurt.

"Shit, Honor. I'm so sorry. We'll be right there." Logan looks up from the couch and notices that the bed is made, and Rory is not in it.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" she asks.

"Nothing," he replies uncertainly. "Just let me get dressed. I'm on the way. Save me some food."

His clock tells him it is 10:00, so he will only be thirty minutes late if he rushes.

"Ace?" he calls out, fairly certain there will be no response. He looks around for a note, but to no avail.

There is not time to search. He dresses and brushes his teeth, opting for deodorant and cologne over a shower. Before he leaves, he calls Rory.

At the voicemail prompt, he says, "Hey. I know you're upset, but we have Honor's brunch this morning if you still want to come. Let me know where you are, and I'll come get you. Or just meet me at my parents' house. I love you."

He arrives only slightly late and rushes into the house. His mother comes over to greet him, pointedly looking over his shoulder.

"Logan, dear. How nice of you to finally join us. We missed you last night. And where is Rory?"

Thinking fast, he answers, "She started coming down with something last night, and she didn't want anyone else getting ill."

"Oh, how thoughtful of her," Shira sneers.

"I'm going to find Honor. I'll talk to you later, Mom."

He locates the happy couple eating breakfast, surrounded by family. He rushes over to Honor and squats down beside her.

"Hey, I am so sorry. I completely suck as your brother."

"Logan! It's fine. I saved you and Rory these seats next to me. Is everything okay?" She also looks over his shoulder. "Is Rory here?"

"No, just me." He rises and sits next to her. Leaning in, he says, "Josh, I'm really sorry about last night. I promise I will be a better brother-in-law than I was a groomsman."

"What happened?" Honor asks.

"It's not important. This weekend is about you guys."

"Logan… Just tell me."

He is about to tell them the 'Rory is sick' line when he realizes they will know he is lying. _They have been through all of this with me before._

"Rory found out that I slept with someone else while we were apart, and we had a huge fight."

"Shit, man. That sucks," Josh says.

Logan can only nod in agreement.

"Did you break up?" Honor asks worriedly.

"Or are you just fighting? I know it's hard for you to tell the difference," Josh laughs at him.

"Ha, ha. I'm glad my pain is so amusing." Logan smiles for the first time since the ceremony. "I think we are just fighting, but it's really bad. I don't actually know where she is right now. She was gone when I got up."

Honor reaches for his hand and strokes it gently.

"But enough about me. Tell me about the reception."

"Well, Walker was wasted, and she…"

* * *

On the way home, he tries Rory's cell phone again. He hangs up when it goes to voicemail.

He steps into his empty apartment. It doesn't appear that Rory has been home.

 _She'll come back when she's ready to talk. I may as well be constructive today._

He has an article due on Friday that needs a little more work. He needs quotes gauging student reaction, so he heads over to campus.

The dining hall is sparsely populated at this time of day, but he diligently makes the rounds, asking questions about textbooks, and recording answers. He continues to check his phone, but it remains stubbornly silent.

Once home, he calls Rory again. Hanging up, he resolves to keep working and uploads his new research to the staff page for Rory to check.

He fights the urge to call her again and loses. Straight to voicemail. He hangs up.

 _Give her space, Logan._

He aimlessly watches TV and surfs the internet, unsure of what to do with his time.

Around 5:00, he calls her again. _I mean, I have to know if she's eating with me._

Still no answer. He orders a pizza with her favorite toppings anyway, just in case.

By 8:00, he is legitimately worried. He actually leaves a message this time.

"Rory, I know you're mad at me, but I have to know where you are. Please call me back."

By 10:00, he is full-on panicking.

"I am freaking out here! Please let me know you're safe."

He somehow falls asleep, but jerks awake at 3:30. The other side of the bed is still empty.

 _This is fucking ridiculous. I don't know whether to be scared or pissed off._

He rolls around for a few hours until it feels like an acceptable time to get up.

He leaves another voicemail. "Rory, I am going to lose it if you don't call me back immediately."

As soon as it's light out, he heads to Paris and Doyle's. He knocks, and Doyle answers.

 _Thank God for small favors._

"Logan?"

"Hey Doyle. I'm sorry to bother you so early, but did Rory stay here last night?"

"No, I don't think so. Paris? … Is Rory here?"

 _Shit. I cannot take Paris right now._

"What?" Paris exits the bedroom, still in her pajamas. Seeing Logan, she says, "Wow, Huntzberger. You've lost your girlfriend twice in 48 hours. That must be some kind of record."

"Paris…" Doyle cautions.

"I'm worried. She's not answering her phone, and I just need to know she's okay. I'm about to go to the police," Logan admits.

He must look convincing, because Paris actually relents. "She's not here, but I know she's fine. She was editing over email yesterday. She'll probably be at the news office today."

"If we hear from her, I'll let you know," Doyle promises.

Logan regroups as he leaves.

 _She's alive. She's okay. She's just ignoring me. Doesn't make me feel that much better._

After his first class, he checks in at the paper. It appears that Rory has been _very_ busy, editing and working on the layout. She just hasn't acknowledged his article at all.

He calls her again. "Rory, please call me back, and I will leave you alone. I'm just worried." _Not to mention, I'm getting irritated with this silent treatment._

After his second class, he is home for the day. Back in his empty apartment, he calls over and over again, hanging up when it goes to voicemail.

 _What the hell did I do with all my time before Rory?_

He turns on the TV and half-heartedly watches some college basketball. He fights off the urge to drink. _That is not going to get me anywhere._

 _I've got to_ _ **do**_ _something._

He changes clothes and takes the elevator to the gym on the bottom floor. He silences his phone, climbs on the treadmill, and starts running. He manages to lose himself in a couple of reruns of Saved by the Bell.

Five miles later, he picks up his phone. _What the fuck, Rory?_ He walks down the block to Subway and grabs a sandwich for dinner.

On the walk home, his phone finally rings. He answers quickly, but it is Colin.

"Hey, man. What's up?"

"A bunch of us are going to the pub for March Madness. Do you wanna come?"

 _That's tempting. It'll keep my mind off of Rory… But I should be at home in case she comes back._

"Huntzberger? You there?"

"Yeah, sorry. I can't tonight, but maybe later this week?" Logan says, distracted.

"I don't know. We're leaving for Costa Rica on Thursday morning."

"Shit. I forgot."

"Not too late to change your mind and come," Colin says.

"I can't. Rory's best friend is getting married."

"Boooooo."

"I know," Logan laments. "But she's the maid of honor. I have to be there."

"Fine. I'll talk to you before we leave."

He hangs up, then takes the elevator back into his apartment.

"Rory?" he calls out upon entering. He is greeted with silence. "Of course."

He takes a shower, then eats his sandwich on the couch in front of the TV. He is trying his hardest not to call Rory.

But by 8:00, he can't take it anymore. At the beep, he leaves his plea one more time. "Rory, please. I'm going crazy."

After a couple of more unanswered calls, he decides to just get ready for bed. He is in the bathroom brushing his teeth when he hears the door open. He pokes his head out to see Rory dropping her bag in the front chair. He spits and heads her way.

"Where the hell have you been?" He means to say it nicer, but he can't keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Oh, I went to Stars Hollow to visit my mom for a couple of days," she answers nonchalantly, taking her coat off.

"You went to Stars Hollow?" he challenges. _That's all you have to say?_

"Yep."

 _I've been losing my mind here._ "Well you could have told me, Ace. Left a note, called, something." He does his best to keep his voice even.

"Yeah… I know. I should have."

 _Again- that's all you have to say?_

"I mean, I wake up and you're gone…" he goads her.

"I didn't mean to freak you out," Rory says lamely, avoiding his eyes and walking away.

He pushes again. "I kept calling your cell. I must have called it a hundred times."

"Oh… Oh yeah. Well, my cell died, and my charger was here of course. I have to buy an extra one. You keep telling me that."

 _You gotta give me more than that, Rory._

"Finally I checked in with the paper. They told me you've been emailing stuff. So at least I knew you were alive."

"I'm so sorry. It just became this whole thing. My grandparents stopped by unexpectedly, which took forever, and anyhow, it's a long story," she rambles. "But I promise it will never happen again."

Logan eyes her suspiciously.

"I have to take a shower," she announces and brushes past him.

"Rory?"

She finally looks at him. "Yeah?"

"You sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," she replies and heads to the shower.

 _So that's how we are going to play this? Like nothing happened?_

She doesn't lock the door this time, so he takes this opportunity to trap her into a conversation. He knocks lightly and then pokes his head in. "Rory?"

"Um… yeah?" she calls out from behind the curtain.

"I just wanted to… are you thinking that you'll... I mean, you know that I didn't mean..." He can't get any full thoughts out. _  
_

 _I don't want to fight. Maybe she's right. We ignore it until it goes away._

"Never mind." He closes the door and puts on pajamas. He is reading when Rory comes out of the bathroom.

"Hey, about Lane's wedding. How formal is it? Tux, tie, no tie? And anything special for the Korean part?"

"Oh," she responds flatly. "You don't need to come to that. You won't know anyone, and… just don't worry about it."

"I want to come. She's your best friend, and I can't wait to meet your people. I just want to make sure I'm wearing the right thing," he grins at her.

"No, really. I'm going to be so busy as Maid of Honor that I won't be able to introduce you to anyone, so it would be better, maybe… if you just skipped it."

"But…"

"And, I mean, our last wedding didn't go so well. We probably shouldn't risk it."

"Rory…"

"No. It's fine. Just do something with your friends instead."

He looks to her, but she is already turning off her light and rolling away from him.

 _Is it stupid that my feelings are hurt? Because I got disinvited from a wedding where I_ _ **don't**_ _know anyone?_

 _Maybe Rory doesn't want to introduce me to Stars Hollow because she knows I won't be around much longer._

"Are you going to be able to forgive me?" he whispers.

"Logan, I already told you I forgive you," she whispers back.

 _Did she say that? Maybe. Saturday night is fuzzy. But if she says it now... I have to take her at her word._

Still, his insecurity keeps him up most of the night.

* * *

He sleeps late the next morning, awakening when he hears the door opening and closing. He pads out of bed and walks into the kitchen. The coffee pot is full, and there is a note beside it.

"Gone all day."

 _At least she left a note, no matter how unfeeling or impersonal it may be._

He showers to get ready for his classes, then puts a call in to Colin.

"Hey, man."

"Logan- you missed an epic time last night. I think Rosemary finally slept with Finn."

"No shit. I won't believe that until Rosemary confirms herself. But I was actually calling to tell you that I can go to Costa Rica now. Is it too late to get in on that?"

"Of course not. But what about the wedding?" Colin asks.

"Ace doesn't want me there, so I figure my time will be better spent at my last LBD event."

"What's going on? Are you and Rory okay?"

"I don't know," Logan admits. "But I wanna go with you guys anyway, so it's all good."

"Alright then. How about Finn and I come by tomorrow night and run through the itinerary with you. Then you'll be ready to go Thursday morning."

"Perfect," Logan responds.

He pushes Rory and her indifference to the back of his mind and gets through his day. Two classes and Daily News office. He reworks part of his article until he feels it is ready for Rory, and he submits it to the staff page.

After the mundane is done, he can't keep his mind off of his predicament. _How can I make her understand? How can I make her feel better?_

On the way home, he picks up enough food for himself and Rory and two dozen roses. He hopes they can have a real dinner with real conversation. _Rory loves that I'm romantic. I just need to remind her of my best self... So she'll forget the asshole part of me._

Once in the apartment, he busies himself, making everything perfect.

Rory finally walks in around 6:45. She sees the table set and the candles out, and she stops in her tracks.

"Logan…"

"It's Thai- your favorite. I just wanted to see you for a minute." He gives her a genuine smile, and she returns it with a strained one.

"Okay, but I'm really busy. I have a study group in the library at 8:00."

"That's fine. Just give me a little time. 15 minutes?"

"Sure," she relents. "Let me change my clothes."

He lights the candles and dishes out the food. _If we can spend 15 minutes normally, then she'll remember she loves me._

Rory finally sits down, and Logan asks, "How was your day?"

"Um, good. You know- same old, same old." She begins eating, avoiding his eyes. He watches her intently, hoping to see some sign of thaw.

"So, Josh and Honor left for Mykonos yesterday, but she wanted me to tell you that when they get back—"

Rory's cell phone rings, interrupting him. "It's my mom," she says, answering it.

"Hey, Mom… I know!"

Logan listens to the tone of her voice. This is the first time he has heard her happy since the morning of the wedding.

 _While I love to hear her happy, I wish it was with me._

Rory realizes that he is staring and mouths "Sorry." She picks up her plate and moves into the kitchen. She starts eating over the sink, continuing the animated conversation with Lorelei.

Deflated, Logan begins to eat alone at a candlelit meal for two.

Twenty minutes later, he hears Rory say, "Okay, Mom. I've got to go… Yes, I promise… Okay. Love you too."

"Sorry," she says, not sounding sorry at all. "She had a lot of questions about this weekend."

She puts her plate in the sink and grabs her bag. "I've got to go. I'll probably be really late, so don't wait up."

"Ace- just… I haven't seen you in three days."

"I know. I'm sorry, I just can't be late for this study group. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

And just like that, she is out the door again.

 _I know she's mad, and I probably deserve it, but this is just not the way we said we would handle things when we got back together. I don't know how much longer I can pretend we're fine._

He blows out the candles and starts clearing the dishes from the table. After the kitchen is clean, he changes and heads downstairs to work out.

Back in the empty apartment, he realizes how exhausted he is. The lack of sleep and anxiety are getting to him.

 _I don't think I could wait up for her if I tried._

He has early class on Wednesday, so he sets the alarm and quickly falls into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Author Note: Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing. A lot of you are reviewing as guests, and I don't know how to reply to that! (Can anyone help me with this?) But I am reading them, and I do appreciate it. As always, Logan's inner thoughts are in italics. I do not own GG or any characters.

* * *

Logan hears the coffee grinder and opens his eyes groggily. He glances at the clock. 9:02. _Shit! I have 8:30 class. What the hell? I must have forgotten to set the alarm._

He rushes into the shower and quickly begins soaping up before it dawns on him that he does not need to hurry. He has already missed his class, and he doesn't have another one until 12:30. He thinks back through the night. _I know I set the alarm for 7:00… Maybe Rory… No, she knows I need to go to Marketing on Wednesday mornings._

He exits the shower and starts getting dressed. He spies Rory by the bed and, suddenly, he is irritated.

"Hey, you."

"Hey," Rory replies.

"You get in late last night?" he needles her.

"I was studying."

"Hmm. I missed my class this morning."

"Bummer," she says so sarcastically, he about snaps.

He tries to hold his voice even. "Clock didn't go off. I thought I set it right…" He buttons his shirt meticulously to keep from glaring at Rory.

She stands and says, "Oh. I reset it. I had to catch up on some sleep. I didn't know you set it for early." There is no hint of apology in her voice.

 _Deep breath. Don't blow up. She's within her rights to be mad at you._ "That's okay."

"Maybe we should get a second clock," she says as she walks away from him.

His voice is rising. "Might be wise." _Considering you seem to want to live separate lives. Deep breath._ "You gonna be available to grab a bite later?"

"Maybe," Rory answers.

"Hmm. You can't see that far in the future?" _Keep the sarcasm in check, Huntzberger._

"It's crazy right now."

 _Seriously? Deep breath._ "I'll check in with you later."

"We'll see how it goes…" Rory turns to leave.

Desperate, Logan grabs her arm and pulls her in for a kiss. She does not reciprocate at all.

"Have a good day," he says flatly.

"You too."

He walks into the kitchen for cereal and coffee. _Is she really going to keep ignoring me? How long can we keep this up?_

He wishes Honor weren't in Mykonos. He is desperate to talk to someone.

 _I can't really talk to my friends about this. Finn would just get me as drunk or high as possible, and Colin would start cataloguing Rory's faults and order me a hooker._

 _I'm up. I might as well be productive today. Maybe Rory has edited my article, and I can finish that up._

He logs in to the staff page where he has put his research and rough draft. He scans quickly and realizes he is in the wrong spot. He continues to scroll through, reading about textbooks in a different article.

 _What is this? Did someone else write the same topic? Did she… why would…_

His blood temperature rises as he realizes what has happened. _No amount of deep breathing is going to calm me down. She has the right to be angry at me, but this is ridiculous._

He grabs his phone and calls her, ready to fight. Her phone rings from the living room where she left it on the pool table.

 _How convenient. Now she can't be responsible for not taking my phone calls. Well, I definitely won't be checking in with her for dinner._

He walks over and picks up the phone where it reads:

 **1 MISSED CALL LOGAN**

 **1 MISSED TEXT JESS**

 _Oh my God._ He feels an actual pain in his heart.

He stares at the screen for a long time. He has always trusted Rory. He has never snooped, never even thought about it, but the urge is overwhelming. _What is that punk saying to her?_

He flips open her phone and begins to run through her text history. She and Jess had texted in November. _That is when he showed up here and blew my life to pieces._

There are no more texts until last Sunday- the day she disappeared.

 **RORY: Hey, long time, no see. U good?**

 **JESS: Great, How's life?**

There is some banal chit chat that he scrolls through quickly, but he stops at

 **RORY: I would love to C U soon.**

 **JESS: Me too. We are hosting something Thursday. Can you come to Philly?**

 **RORY: Yes!**

 **JESS: Cool. Still at your grandparents? I'll mail you an invite.**

 **RORY: Nope, back at Yale. 1240 Tower Terrace. New Haven, CT 06519**

 **JESS: I can't wait to see you.**

 **RORY: Me too!**

Logan's heart drops. _Rory is going to see him tomorrow night. I guess she'll be "studying" late again tomorrow. Maybe she didn't have a study group last night either. At least I'll be in Costa Rica where she can't lie to my face._ He begins to replay every interaction they have had since the fight.

 _Did she even go to Stars Hollow? God, I can't start thinking like that...  
_

The new text from this morning reads:

 **JESS: Let me know if the invite doesn't come today so I can text you all the info.**

His sadness quickly gives way to anger. _I know she's hurt, but that doesn't give her carte blanche to do anything she wants._

He can't help himself. He has to know where she is going. He googles Jess Mariano. The first two hits are arrests- one in New York for petty larceny, and one in California for disorderly conduct.

 _Maybe I'm not a bad-enough bad boy anymore._

The next hit is for his publishing company. Here he finds the information on the open house that Rory is apparently going to. He reads and re-reads the web page for the next thirty minutes. It appears that Jess has gotten his act together, and that fact does not help his mood.

He's never really thought about it before, but Jess is his polar opposite. He is dark and brooding. He comes from nothing. He has had to work very hard to earn this career.

 _I'm just a rich, blond asshole who gets everything handed to me. No wonder she wants him instead of me._

 _But Rory said he didn't treat her well. And I... well, I guess she thinks I don't anymore either._ _But I wasn't intentionally trying to hurt her. She has to know that. And if she does this... she is **trying** to hurt me..._

 _Snap out of it. You have to go to class._

He shuts down the computer and puts Rory's cell phone back right where she left it.

On the drive to campus, he stops feeling sorry for himself. He just gets more and more pissed off. By the time he has parked, he is livid.

 _I'm definitely not in the mind frame to talk to her right now, but there is no point in going to class. I won't hear a word Barstow says._

He heads straight to the newsroom where Rory is in an animated discussion with Paris.

 _Deep breath… Stay calm…_

 _Fuck that._

He heads straight to her desk. "Hey chief, you got a minute?"

"Um, a minute."

"I'm a little confused about something," he begins.

"How can I help you?" She speaks to him like an underling.

"I was working on the piece about textbook prices."

"Uh-huh."

"It wasn't going to earn me my Pulitzer, but I already put a lot of work into it, and I just checked the server and noticed that a piece on the same topic has already been written."

"Yes, it has been," she says matter-of-factly.

He is seething. "Our wires get crossed?"

"Nope."

"Who wrote it?" he asks, fairly certain he knows the answer.

"I did."

"Why?" he asks angrily.

"It's topical. It affects every student. It's an important story. I wanted to be sure it would get done."

"It wasn't due for two more days."

"I didn't think you'd meet the deadline," she accuses.

"Based on what?" _That I slept with someone else?_

"Based on past performance."

"Past performance is no indication of future performance." _I will never do it again, Ace._

"Wise men call that a sucker's maxim."

"I did a lot of research on this thing. I interviewed textbook publishers, authors. I was gonna get more quotes from students…" _I am working hard. I am going to make this up to you._

"I know," she sasses. "I used your research. A lot of it came in handy."

"Really?" _Then why are you doing this?_

"The stuff I could make sense out of. Look, you'll get your byline if that's what this is about."

"You know that's not what this is about." _It's about Walker and Claudia._

Rory replies, "I thought I was doing you a favor."

"Everyone knew that I was assigned that piece, and now they know it's been taken away from me." _You're my girl, and you are planning to be with someone else just to hurt me._

"Logan, I'm sorry. It's as you said. Our wires got crossed. It happens. Let's move on."

He stares her down. "Okay, we'll move on." _For good?_

He turns to leave and sees Paris's bugs on the table. "And what's this?" he says grabbing the jar.

"Keep walking, Logan," Paris chimes in.

"You let fruit flies in the newsroom?" _Jess? Really?_

"It's not hurting anybody," Rory claims.

 _It makes_ _ **me**_ _sick just thinking about it._ "It's disgusting."

"I just need five more minutes," Paris says.

"Don't rush, Paris. The fruit flies are not hurting anybody," she says, looking pointedly at Logan. "And Paris is working on something I'm waiting on. I would prefer it if she weren't interrupted."

"Sorry, Paris," Logan says, never breaking eye contact with Rory. _Fine, go be with that loser._

Logan stalks out of the newsroom and heads straight back to his Porsche. He drives to Colin and Finn's apartment.

Finn opens the door in his boxers. "Logan. It's entirely too early for a social call."

"Dude, it's almost 1:00." Logan goes in and sits on the couch. He grabs Finn's bong off the coffee table, packs it, lights it, and pulls a long hit.

He hasn't gotten high since he and Rory got back together, and the smoke feels thick in his lungs. He exhales and pulls another hit.

"Everything okay?" Finn asks.

"Sure. Perfect. I just wanted to play Halo. Go back to bed. Sorry I woke you."

Finn sits on the couch and takes his turn with the bong. "No, I'm up. I'll play with you."

Logan smiles at him gratefully; he does not want to be alone.

They get high and play Halo for a few hours. Finn does not ask him any questions, and the only conversation is smack talk until Logan remembers something.

"Did you finally sleep with Rosemary?"

"A gentleman never tells…" Finn says, continuing to look at the TV. "But it was glorious."

"Nice," Logan says. The conversation goes quiet again.

Finally, Logan gets up to go home. He has to pack and get his things together to leave in the morning.

As he enters his building, Carl, the front desk security, says "Mr. Huntzberger, the mailman wanted me to ask you to get your mail. It's stuffed full."

"Sure, my bad."

Carl laughs. "You and Rory never remember to check your mailbox."

"Snail mail is obsolete, my man," Logan laughs back.

He opens the box and pulls out a ton of junk mail. He skims through it quickly, pulling out things to throw away.

There is a large purple post card addressed to Rory. When he sees what it is, he fights the urge to rip it to shreds.

 _Should I put it on the counter so she knows I saw it? That I know she had Jess mail her something to the apartment she shares with me?_

 _Maybe she wants me to find it… So I know she has other options…_

He puts it back in the mailbox for Rory to find herself and heads upstairs.

Once in the apartment, he grabs a bag and begins angrily throwing his things in it. Running shoes. Bathing suits. Passport. _I'll just buy whatever else I need there._

 _I haven't even told Rory I'm doing this. We haven't had a full conversation in days. How are we so far apart, when five days ago, I was thinking about wedding vows?_

He sees the unnoticed roses on the table and tosses them in the trash. Tears fill his eyes, and he blinks them away.

His high is fading, allowing his sadness and anger to resurface. Since Rory moved in, he doesn't keep drugs in the house, but he needs something.

He fears alcohol will make him belligerent, but it'll have to do. _It's not like she'll be home before I go to bed anyway._ He starts drinking heavily and is pouring the last of the Wild Turkey into his tumbler when the guys arrive.

"Fellas! Come on in!" Logan yells when he opens the door.

"Huntzberger. Looks like you started without us." _Fucking Robert._

"Robert brought all the plans so you know what we're doing this weekend," Colin explains.

"Alright. Hit me with it," Logan tells him.

Robert spreads some maps on the pool table. "Seth and I have planned the whole trip. Tomorrow we'll check into the resort, and then Friday morning we'll leave Playa Concha for a short drive back to the airport. We have about a 30 minute flight to the top of the Caldera. And then we'll go paragliding over a waterfall to the San Juan River."

"Wow. Sounds incredible. Is it safe?" Logan asks nervously.

"Oh, yeah. It's all coordinated through Adventure Travel. We'll have licensed pilots and trainers. We can even tandem with them if we want. At the base, some river guides will raft us back to the resort where they are going to have a full-out party set up on the beach."

Logan still feels nervous. "Is everyone jumping?"

Finn laughs. "Of course not. Only the crazies. So me, Colin, Robert, Evan and Nicole, the usuals. You in, Logan?"

He thinks hard. Two years ago, he would have been the first in line, but he has changed a lot.

He finally asks, "How drunk can I be?"

"As drunk as you want," Colin smirks. "But they said if you're not sober, you have to tandem the jump."

"I don't know. Let me think on it. But, it sounds awesome, Robert. You and Seth put a lot of work in." He knows he is drunk, because otherwise he would never give Robert this much credit.

"Truthfully, Seth did most of the grunt work, but he needed my father's connections at the Westin to get it all set up. It should be a great trip for us to go out on."

"I can't believe Seth ceded any control to trainers and guides," Colin chimes in.

"I think he was worried about international police and medicine and whatnot," Robert responds.

Logan laughs. "Yeah, we have to be more 'Life' than 'Death' Brigade. At least this close to graduation."

"I'm so proud, Logan. You're really growing up," Finn says sarcastically.

Colin and Robert move into the kitchen to make drinks, and Finn moves closer to Logan at the pool table.

Finn quietly says, "You don't have to jump, mate. You have London and Rory, and you don't have to prove anything to anyone anymore."

"Well, I don't want to go to London, and Rory's pretty much done with me, so I'm kind of disappointed in myself that I don't want to do this." Logan sighs. "This growing-up shit sucks."

Finn laughs and says, "Fight it, Logan! If you don't jump, you better host the beach party like only Logan Huntzberger can. Beer, bongs, beautiful babies."

He laughs too. He is grateful that Finn is letting the Rory comment slide.

"Huntz!" Colin calls from the kitchen. He is holding up an empty liquor bottle. "You cannot be out of Wild Turkey!"

"I've got everything else under the sun. Pick one and stop your nagging," Logan replies.

"You cannot be out of Wild Turkey," Colin repeats.

"No matter how many times you tell me I'm not out, doesn't change the fact that I'm out!"

Rory enters the room quietly. "Hi, everyone."

Logan is surprised. _I can't believe she is gracing me with her presence._

"Hey Rory. Get yourself a drink. Anything but Wild Turkey," Colin calls from the kitchen.

"I'm fine," she says.

Logan moves towards her. "Forget it. She doesn't drink on school nights."

"I sometimes do," Rory replies.

Logan rolls his eyes. _I say black, you say white._

Colin studies her. "I'm getting a sense that the woman of the house had no idea we were going to be here."

 _No, she would have to talk to me to know that._

"Okay that we're here, love?" Finn asks her.

"Of course it's okay," Logan snaps.

"Logan, I haven't called you 'love' since that sultry night in Bimini."

Rory finally smiles. "It's fine that you're here guys. You're always welcome. What's with the maps?"

"Graduation is imminent, Rory," Colin answers. "So we are planning the ultimate Life and Death Brigade event."

"Not only the 'ultimate,' but the penultimate," Finn adds.

Logan snorts, as Colin says "Penultimate means next to last, Finn. This is the last one."

"I thought it meant super-ultimate."

"How did you get into Yale?" Robert asks, incredulously.

"Slept with the recruiter."

"So what's the stunt?" Rory asks.

Colin responds dramatically. "We're flown on a twin-engine plane to a remote spot in Costa Rica. We don parachutes, base jump off a cliff, whose height is…" He looks at Robert expectantly.

"Exactly 3624 feet. Unless that's a 2."

Logan smirks.

"We land on the banks of the San Juan River," Colin continues.

"Hopefully not in the river," Finn says.

"Or on the Nicaraguan side of the river," Robert adds.

"Or in Panama," Logan continues the joke.

Colin starts again. "We inflate a raft, white-water three miles down to a meeting point where a blow-out party will take place."

"It's a 2 gents. I'm pretty sure it's a 2… or an 8," Robert interrupts.

"Where do you get the inflatable raft?" Rory asks.

 _Wait. Does she think we're serious? Like we could blow up a full raft ourselves...  
_

"One of us will parachute with it in our packs," Logan says.

"Not me," Finn says. "I've got the DVD player."

"Not me. I've got the champagne and the bong," Colin says in mock seriousness.

Robert adds, "If I take it, it'll crush the cigars."

"Stand down boys. I'll jump with the raft," Logan smiles. _Now she has to know we're joking._

"You're planning this very carefully, right?" Rory asks.

Colin gestures to Robert. "Luckily, we have a topographical map expert in our midst."

"It's a 3. I'm 90% sure." _This might be the funniest Rob's ever been._

Rory is not finding it so amusing. "Why don't you make extra sure you have the right number there, Robert?"

"Hey, let the man do his thing." _God, Rory. You're making me defend Robert._

"Well, I would if the man doing his thing weren't drunk and hadn't forgotten to put on his reading glasses."

"Oh my God, I'm not wearing my glasses," Robert deadpans.

"They flew off when you did that impression of the old guy getting shot by Dick Cheney," Colin jokes.

 _Surely she knows now_.

"Who's flying this twin-engine plane, and who's supplying parachutes?" Rory rants. _Or maybe not._ "I mean there must be a weight limit to make that jump, right? Do you guys know what the weight limit is?"

 _Does she honestly think this little of me?_

"So you came home just to piss on the fun?" Logan snaps.

"No, I came home because I live here," Rory retorts.

 _Funny, haven't seen you in days._

Colin must realize they have crossed the line, because he says, "You know guys, maybe we should resume the planning another time."

Logan stares down Rory and responds, "Yeah I guess maybe we should."

The guys say their goodbyes and shuffle out, but Logan cannot stop looking at his girlfriend. She, however, won't look at him.

"Go with them if you want," she finally says.

 _I'm sure you would love for me to leave._ All of the drugs and alcohol of the day have led him to this moment. He is beyond pissed.

"Is it your life mission to embarrass me at every opportunity you get?" He wants answers.

"It's Robert, Colin, and Finn, Logan. I've seen them all dance naked with underwear on their heads. There's no embarrassing you in front of them."

"Well, you embarrassed me tonight,' he says.

"How? By pointing out that the stunt you're planning doesn't exactly sound safe?" she cries.

"It's called the Life and Death Brigade, Rory!"

"Yeah and you're supposed to avoid the Death part," she responds.

He has had it. "This is not your business, and why aren't you at the paper? You're always at the paper this time of night!"

"Finished early."

"How? Delegate a little? Let people actually write their own articles?" Logan digs.

"That's old news," she says lamely.

 _It happened this morning!_

"It's not old news. You knew that would embarrass me, and you didn't care."

"Please…"

 _I gotta rip the band-aid._

"Even when we're together, you're someplace else. You leave, and you don't kiss me goodbye. We're at dinner, you're on your cell phone the whole time. You never leave notes anymore about where you're gonna be, so I have no idea where you are. You haven't forgiven me!"

"What are you talking about?" Rory asks.

"For the girls I was with when we were separated."

"I said, I forgive you," she says.

"Yeah, you said it, but you haven't though," he says. "You haven't."

Rory just looks at him blankly.

 _So we still aren't admitting there's a problem. Fine._

"I'll be at the pub." Logan heads out of the apartment and pushes the button for the elevator.

 _Wait. I'm not done. She's going to see him, and I have to have my say before she does._

He turns around and goes back into the apartment. Rory has not moved.

He slams the door and rants, "We were on a break, Rory. I know it still hurts, but I can't go back and change it. I would if I could. I fucked up, and I'm sorry. But I'm trying here. You know I love you. If that's not enough, then say so. Because this here, right now, this fight is on you. I know that you're…" _going to see Jess_.

He can't finish. He can't admit he snooped. He pauses to regroup.

"I know that you're angry, but all of this passive-aggressive bullshit is childish."

"Oh my God, Logan. How dare you call me childish, when you are planning to jump to your death with your moronic friends?"

"I thought you were a journalism major, Ace. Sarcasm. It's a thing. Look it up."

She looks at him blankly for a few moments. "Whatever. Just go do your stupid stunt. I could care less what you do."

Her words cut deep. Over the last five days, Logan continually told himself that they could get through this because they loved each other.

 _Maybe that's that._

He looks in her eyes ( _those beautiful blue eyes_ ) and searches for any sign that she loves him. Her face is still challenging him to keep fighting.

He shakes his head and turns around to leave again.

He is too drunk to drive so he walks the fourteen blocks to the pub. He meets his friends at a back table at Rich Man's Shoe.

Colin looks up first. "Hey, I 'm sorry, Logan. I was just playing around. I didn't think she would get so pissed. She didn't actually believe all that stuff, right?"

Logan shakes his head. He can't even talk about it anymore.

Lanny arrives with a round for the table, but he doesn't even want any more alcohol. He heads to the bar for water and sits up on a stool. His friends must understand, because he is left alone for the next hour.

On their way out, Colin stops by to tell him they will pick him up at 8:00 the next morning. He nods his assent.

He stays there for another half hour or so, just staring into space.

 _Now I'm the one who's dreading going home._

When he finally gets back to the apartment, the lights are all off. Rory is ( _faking?_ ) sleeping on her side of the bed. His pillow and a blanket are on the couch.

He strips down to his boxers and brushes his teeth. He sets the alarm for early and turns the volume as loud as it will go. _If she can be childish, so can I._

He is so physically and emotionally drained that he falls asleep as soon as he lays down on the couch.

* * *

A/N: I tried my best to remember flip phones and texting from 2006, but some of this may be inaccurate :)


	4. Chapter 4

Author Note: I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of its characters. Logan's inner thoughts are in italics.

* * *

The alarm is blaring through the apartment. He picks his head up to see Rory struggling to turn it off. He sits up and puts his head in his hands. He feels like crap. Day drinking yesterday has done him no favors.

He heads to the bathroom. Rory has rolled away from him and is facing the window. _I can't leave for five days while we're like this. Maybe I shouldn't go._

He takes some Advil, brushes his teeth, and hops in the shower.

 _The fight is because of me, but the aftermath is all her. If she wants to work this out, she'll stop me from going._

He dries off and get dressed. He heads to the kitchen for coffee, and he can hear Rory moving behind him.

 _This is it. She won't let me go. She won't spend tonight with Jess._

He turns around to apologize, but Rory has disappeared into the bathroom.

 _Or not. Fuck._

He quickly eats breakfast and decides to go. _Maybe physical distance will be good for us. Take some of the pressure off._

 _Who am I kidding? If I walk out this door, it's over. This time she really will leave me._

He is putting the last of his things in his bag when he hears Rory come out of the bathroom.

"I guess I'm going." _Please ask me to stay._

"Okay," is all she says.

"I'll be out of cell phone range for a few days." _Please don't go to Philly._

"I know."

Logan sighs. _This is it. Tell her you're sorry and you love her._

"I'll see ya," is all he manages to get out as he grabs his bag and heads out the door.

 _Follow me. Tell me not to go. Please._

But as he waits for the elevator, she does not come. He wants to turn around, but his pride won't let him. He takes the elevator downstairs, cursing himself the whole way down.

There is a stretch Navigator waiting outside his building with the majority of the Life and Death Brigade packed inside.

There are general calls of "Huntzberger!" and "Logan!" as he enters. He must look like shit, because Colin immediately starts switching seats until he is beside him with a bottle of scotch.

"Hair of the dog?" Colin asks and grabs a tumbler.

"Yeah," Logan answers, sipping it down as soon as it is poured.

"Everything okay?"

"Okay enough. But this is going to be the best fucking time we've ever had, am I right?" Logan raises his voice to ask the whole limo the question. _I've got to just act normal and not let anyone know how shitty my life is right now._

Everyone shouts and whoops, and the Navigator begins to take them to a private airfield in Hartford.

Colin leans over and whispers, "Stephanie came."

"Meyers? She hasn't been around in a while. Not since she started seeing that guy."

"Apparently, she and 'Crew Captain Douchebag' have split, and she decided last minute."

Logan looks at Colin seriously. "Are you okay with her being here?"

"Yeah, I'm totally over her," Colin says. "We weren't even really a serious thing anyway... And... I really haven't even thought about her since we broke up."

 _What a liar._

"She looks _great_ though," Colin finally says. "I mean really, really..." he trails off as he notices Logan smirking at him.

Logan laughs. "Uh-huh. You sound over her." He looks at Colin, who is grinning. "Wingmen for life?"

They share a silent fist bump. Logan is actually thrilled. _Getting Colin and Steph back together will be a welcome distraction from the nuclear disaster that is my love life._

At the airfield, they get into Nicole's family's private jet and lift off smoothly. Once in the air, the party begins.

Robert starts cutting lines of coke for the group. It has never been good for him, so Logan takes this opportunity to check in with Stephanie while everyone else is otherwise engaged. He finds her reading a magazine near the front of the cabin.

"Stephanie Meyers. I heard rumors you were still at Yale, but there were never any sightings to confirm," he teases as he sits down next to her.

"Oh my God. If I had known how much shit you guys were going to talk, I might not have come. I've already heard it from Robert and Finn. I mean, you get one boyfriend who's not LDB, and you never hear the end of it," she laughs.

"Seriously, I'm so glad you are here. The last few events haven't felt the same without you. So what happened with your boyfriend? Wilson?"

Stephanie rolls her eyes. "You know his name is William. We just weren't getting along anymore. It just… We're about to graduate, and I couldn't really see us together as adults, ya know? It was time. I mean, these days, how many college couples actually end up together?"

Logan drains his drink and ponders these words.

"What about you?" she continues. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"I'm technically still with Rory."

"Wow! That is a long time for you, Huntzberger! But why just technically?"

He unscrews his flask and refills his tumbler. "She is driving to Philadelphia to revenge-fuck her ex-boyfriend tonight, so I imagine we'll be over by the time I get back."

Stephanie's eyes widen.

"It's a long story," he tells her.

"Well, if we didn't have another five hours on this flight, I'd let that slide. But we do, so get talking!"

He sighs, then regales her with the whole saga.

"So you love her and want to stay together, yet you can't let her be mad that you cheated for five days?" Stephanie finally asks.

"I did not cheat! I thought we were broken up!"

"But you can see why's she's pissed, right?"

Logan nods. "Yeah..."

"So you just had this big fight yesterday. Say Rory _thinks_ you're broken up. She sleeps with this guy. Are you going to be fine with it in five days?"

"No, but she's-"

"So cut her some slack," she interrupts him. "If you two really love each other, you'll get through this. And if not…"

"We're one of those college couples that don't end up together? You're not making me feel better, Steph."

"Look, I don't know Rory that well, but honestly, I'd be surprised if she went through with it. She doesn't seem the type to sleep with someone who's not her boyfriend."

 _She slept with me before I was her boyfriend._

"I hope you're right," he says.

"So what about the other loves of your life? Are Finn or Colin seeing anybody?" She tries to sound nonchalant, but this is the opening he has been waiting for.

"Well Finn is still chasing redheads, and Colin hasn't been serious with anyone since you."

"Really?" she asks.

"Really," he grins. _Oh, she's still interested._

"That's a long time."

"Well, I didn't say he had joined a monastery. Just that he hasn't wanted to tie himself down to any one girl. I think he has been waiting for you to come to your senses and ditch the crew captain. Which you have. So maybe this trip will be a perfect chance for you to get him back."

She blushes and looks away.

"That's why you really came this weekend, right?"

"Logan, you can't tell him!" Stephanie squeals. "But I have been thinking about him a lot lately, and... I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think he would be glad to know. I bet he thinks about you a lot, too."

Stephanie smiles, and they sit silently for a few minutes. Finally, Logan announces, "Alright, it's time I find some weed. You want?"

"No, I'm cool for now. I haven't been partying much, and I can't just jump back in with you guys! I'll spend the whole trip throwing up."

Logan heads to the back of the cabin where he finds Colin waiting.

"Well?" he asks, expectantly.

"You're in."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Logan says. "Cool it with the coke though. That's not her scene anymore."

"Okay. Done. What does she want though? Like a rebound- just fucking? Or does she want to get back together?"

Logan stays quiet, waiting for Colin to come to the answer.

"It doesn't matter. I'm down for either."

"That's my boy," Logan laughs. "You got condoms?"

"Shit!"

"Relax. I'm sure Evan has tons. Nicole is like a rabbit when she's on cocaine. You'll be fine. Now give me your joint. "

By the time the group deplanes, Logan is as high as he has been in a very long time. The ride to the resort flies by, and suddenly, he is by the pool with a fruity drink in his hand.

Finn lays down beside him. "This is gorgeous, mate. Have you ever seen such a sight?"

Logan looks around the beautiful pool that overlooks the ocean. There are very attractive women sun-bathing everywhere.

"You mean the view or the cougars?"

Finn smiles. "Both. You know how I love older women."

Logan smiles back. _I did too, until a certain younger girl came along._

"But I'm thinking about… not," Finn continues. "I finally got Rosemary, ya know? Is that stupid?"

 _Oh, the irony. Both of them will be in relationships by the time we get home, and I'll be the single one._

"No, being in love is… well, it sucks for me right now, but when it's good, it is so much better than you can even imagine. It's like... you can't even remember your life before her. Don't blow it like I did."

"Oh, I'm not in love with her... Am I?"

Logan just looks at him. "Don't be an idiot, Finn. Of course you are. Why else have you been chasing her for a year?"

"Interesting... Better than I can even imagine, huh?"

Logan nods sadly. Rory has made his life so much better than he thought it could be. She is there when he needs her, and she encourages him to try and be better. She truly wants what is best for him, in a way that even his family doesn't. Their lives are intertwined in every way.

He tries not to think about the fact that Rory is most likely driving to Philadelphia at that very moment.

 _Maybe she just needs to do this to feel better about what I did. If so, can I get past it and move on with her?_

 _I have to. I will never love anyone this deeply again.  
_

 _If she wants to stay together after this, I will be the best boyfriend she could ever ask for. I will grow up, and I will put her first._

 _And if she decides she wants Jess… Well, I'm fucked. Because I will never love anyone this deeply again._

 _I need more drugs._

The party continues late into the night. Before settling into his room, he arranges a wake-up call. He is going to take the jump. His last crazy thing before he puts his all into making Rory happy. He passes out into a deep sleep.

* * *

The morning comes too early. He is in the worst state. Hungover, yet still drunk. Coming down, yet still high. He can still feel the ecstasy clouding the crevices in his brain. But even through the fog, he can't keep his mind off of Rory.

 _She loves morning sex. I wonder if she's still with him.  
_

Logan pushes those thoughts away, gets dressed, and walks down to Colin's room. He knocks on the door and is not surprised when Stephanie answers wearing one of Colin's t-shirts.

He smirks.

"Shut up, Logan."

"Morning, Steph. Colin, did you get enough sleep last night to make this jump with me?"

"No, but I don't need it. I feel amazing. I can't wait. This is going to be epic," Colin says as he pulls his shirt on.

"Please be safe, you guys," Stephanie cautions them both. "Listen to the people in charge."

Colin leans down and kisses her.

"Come back in one piece," she whispers.

"I'll be fine. I'll see you at the party," he tells her.

Logan and Colin leave the room together. They both grin the whole way down the hall. Once in the elevator, Colin finally speaks.

"So, that went well. Turns out, she wants to get back together _, and_ she wants to fuck. Win-win. So thank you for your help." He is trying to be serious, but cannot stop smiling.

Logan pulls out his flask and takes a sip. "Cheers," he tells Colin.

"I take it you're going to tandem," Colin gestures to his drink.

"No, actually, I'm going alone. I just need to cut this headache."

Colin seems surprised. "I might solo, but I'm leaning toward tandem. How did you decide?"

The elevator doors open, saving him from having to examine his motives too closely. "In omnia paratus!" he calls as he walks away from Colin.

In the lobby, they meet up with Robert, Evan, Nicole, Finn, Josie, and Weston.

"This should be it," Robert tells the guide who leads them to a large white van. There is a feeling of nervous excitement among the group as they head back to the airstrip.

They board a small plane and take a short flight to the top of the Cliffs of Caldera. While deplaning, they see other groups begin their paraglide, and it looks amazing. Even Logan's depression can't fight the glorious sight in front of him. He is excited in spite of himself.

The guides begin harnessing them, teaching the group what the equipment is and where the fail-safes are.

Logan knows this is important, but he cannot keep his mind from wandering.

 _I bet they're sleeping in. She'll probably wake up first and watch him sleep._

"We'll pull chutes two seconds after the jump. We have almost no freefall here. If you run into a problem, which you won't, the back-up chute pulls here."

 _She'll prop up on one elbow and trace the lines in his stomach, letting her hand drift dangerously low._

"Use these two handles to pull yourself right and left if needed."

 _He'll laugh and tell her she's naughty, but he won't be able to resist those eyes. I never can._

"Does anyone have any questions before we move on to landings?"

 _He'll grab her hand and pull her on top of him._

"Twenty feet or so from the ground, start pulling your legs parallel and use these pulleys here to sit back. If you land on your bottom, that's okay."

 _And once she gets going… **He'll** get to hear that contented sigh I love so much. **He'll** get to feel her heartbeat racing against his chest.  
_

Logan feels like he is going to throw up. He is not sure if it is the alcohol, his nerves, or thoughts of Rory with someone else's hands on her.

"Okay, let's sign waivers. Tandems here, solo jumpers come with me."

He and Evan are the only two who opt for the solo jump.

 _Why am I doing this? Yesterday, I didn't want to jump at all, and today, I desperately need to do this on my own._

 _I'm sure there is some fucked-up psychology to be found here._

Logan signs his name in the appropriate places, though he doesn't actually read the forms.

He watches all the tandems jump, and it is magnificent. He shares a fist bump with Evan, who has always been the craziest motherfucker he knows.

 _Why am I doing what **he** does? Do I actually have a death wish?_

Evan runs and jumps, his parachute billowing out behind him. Logan can hear him whooping and laughing. "LBD!"

He feels an eerie sense of foreboding, like he is about to make a huge mistake, but the sun rising on the bright blue sky calms him.

"If it all goes to shit, there is nothing waiting for me at home anyway," he mutters to himself, thinking of Rory on top of Jess.

He takes one last look at his beautiful surroundings and sprints toward the edge. His left heel slides on a small rock just as he leaps, and he is instantly thrown off balance.

 _Shit._

He pulls his parachute. The left side opens behind him, but the right side snags on his harness. The wind catches his chute and flings him back toward the side of the cliff.

The rock is coming at him quickly. He puts his right arm and leg out to absorb some of the impact. They crumple under him as he slams into the rock. His face scrapes, and he feels a sharp pain in his side.

The extreme amount of drugs and alcohol over the last few days have slowed his reaction time. His mind is frantically telling his body to pull the back-up chute, but his body isn't cooperating as he is dragged along the cliffside.

The wind changes and pulls him away from the rock. He twists around, trying to get his bearings, looking for the safety pull. He is flung against the rock again before he even realizes it is coming. A sharp ledge slams into his left temple, and he is woozy. The ground seems to be approaching too fast.

 _Fuck… Fuck… I'm going to die._

His good left arm is groping around and finally finds the pull for the emergency parachute. It opens and jerks him away from the cliff and back into the air.

It hurts to breathe. His right leg feels numb. Blood runs into his eyes, ruining his beautiful view of the ocean. His head drops unto his chest.

 _This is it. And I didn't even tell Ace I loved her before I left._

As he approaches the ground, he is vaguely aware of the guides and all of his friends standing under him.

He is quickly pulled down, and he can feel his harness being removed. People are shouting in Spanish. Finn is crying, and Nicole is hysterical.

He tries to catch his breath. He has never experienced such intense physical pain. His blood-soaked eyes begin to close, and he welcomes the sleep as he slips out of consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

Author Note: I had to fudge the timeline here. Assuming Lane got married on a Saturday and not midweek, the show did not actually leave enough time for Logan to have recovered from this severity of injuries. So it may not fit completely into canon, but it is what it is! Just forget about April's birthday party happening at the same time.

All of Logan's inner thought are in italics.

I do not own Gilmore Girls or any characters.

* * *

His eyes flit open. There is a nurse taking his vitals. The pain is unbelievable. He groans.

The nurse peers over him. "Logan? Are you awake? Are you in pain?"

He groans and closes his eyes again.

* * *

Finn and Colin are laughing beside him. He can't exactly tell what they are saying _(Finn is his dad?)_ , but he feels like he would like the joke.

* * *

He hears Rory yelling down the hall. He tries to open his eyes and help her, but he just can't get to her. It's like he's moving in slow motion. He gives up and goes back to sleep.

* * *

He is slamming into the cliff. He can actually feel his broken rib puncture his lung. He is desperately reaching for his parachute, but he cannot find it. He falls until everything is dark again.

* * *

Rory is talking about coffee. She rambles on and on. Logan wants to smile, but his head is too thick.

* * *

Colin is telling him something that he can't quite make out. Stephanie is holding his hand and scolding him for being such an idiot. He tries to respond, but he is just so tired.

* * *

He is floating in a parachute above the river. He feels aimless, not tethered to anything. Freedom has never terrified him this much.

* * *

Rory is crying beside him. She takes his hand and puts it on her cheek, and he feels the wetness. He never wants to make her cry. He opens his eyes and tries to wipe away her tears.

She looks up. "Logan? Are you awake? Oh my God! Nurse! Nurse!" she begins yelling and runs out of the room.

 _Wait. Rory! Come back!_

She returns with a nurse, but he is too tired. He closes his eyes again.

* * *

He opens his eyes groggily and looks around. He is definitely in a hospital room. The last thing he can remember is the pool in Costa Rica. _What happened?_

 _Whatever it was, it wasn't good. My whole body is throbbing._

"Ahhh, Logan," the woman standing near his bed says. "You're awake! You've given everyone quite a scare. Do you know where you are?"

"No. What happened?" Logan croaks out. His throat is on fire.

"You had an accident in Costa Rica. You had emergency surgery there, and once you were stable, you were flown here. You're at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. I'm Corinne, your nurse."

He looks at her, shocked.

"I've got some pain medication in your IV, so you should be comfortable," Corinne informs him. "Are you in any pain?"

He nods. "My head and my throat. My side, my legs. Everywhere."

"Goodness. Let me give you a little more and page your doctor." She busies herself.

"You've had a concussion, and you were intubated during surgery. That's your head and throat. You've broken some ribs and both bones in your right lower leg. That's your side and legs. And your entire body is basically bruised, so that's the everywhere. You're going to be sore for a while. That's normal. You have had some damage to your right lung, so if you have problems breathing, that's _not_ normal. Let us know."

 _What the hell happened?_

A blond, bespectacled doctor walks in. "Mr. Huntzberger. It's good to see you awake. I'm Dr. Schultz. I've been on your case since you arrived." The doctor begins checking Logan's monitors.

"How long have I been here?" Logan asks.

Dr. Schultz flashes a pen light in his eyes. "You arrived here in the wee hours of Sunday morning, and it's Tuesday, so a few days."

 _It's Tuesday? I can vaguely remember that small plane on Friday._

"Has… has… anyone been here?" He is almost scared of the answer.

Corinne replies, "You had a couple of friends who arrived with you. And one young lady who is claiming to be your 'very serious girlfriend.'"

He starts to smile, but it hurts, so he refrains.

"Can I see her?" Logan asks.

"Not yet," replies Dr. Schultz. He turns to the nurse. "I want ortho in here to look at his legs. Order a new chest x-ray for pulmonology."

Then he turns to Logan. "Do you want plastics to come look at your face?"

 _My face? What's wrong with my face?_

He must look terrified, because Corinne says, "You've just got some large cuts, sweetheart. A plastic surgeon can help with the scarring."

"Um, okay. I guess they should come too," he replies weakly. "This face is kind of my best asset."

Corrine laughs out loud. "I'm sure, honey. And don't worry- your girlfriend is asleep. She's been here since Sunday and has refused to go home."

 _That sounds like Rory._

"I finally put her in a bed in the on-call room and told her if she didn't sleep, I would admit her too. As soon as she's awake, and you're done in here, I'll let her in, okay?"

Logan still feels sleepy, but as he is poked and prodded for the next few hours, he begins to wake up.

He struggles to remember what happened. It comes back in pieces and flashes, but he is having a tough time linking the events together. He distinctly remembers hitting the side of the cliff, but the specifics are evading him.

Corinne finally comes in with some ice chips. "You up for a visitor?"

"Please," he nods.

"Okay, I'll send her in."

A few minutes later, Rory enters. "Hey," she says smiling.

 _I haven't made her smile in a while._ "Hey," he grins back.

"You're awake," she says, relieved.

"Or hallucinating. Pretty good hallucination," he flirts.

She laughs. "Oh, you're awake."

"I must look like crap," he says, thinking about what the plastic surgeon told him.

"Now I know why you never let me see you without your make-up," she quips.

"I guess base-jumping with very little preparation wasn't the hottest idea." He feels the need to explain things to her.

"You're gonna be fine. You're gonna make a full recovery," she says, wholly positive.

"RoboCop made a full recovery. Look where that led him." He attempts to joke, but Rory will not be swayed.

"This is the best hospital in the city. And the best hospital in New York City is basically the best hospital in the country. And that's basically the best hospital in the world. So, all in all, you're in the best place you could be, all things considered."

She is being such a cheerleader, and he wants to hug her, touch her, badly. He tries to sit up, but finds it slow-going. "Uggh," he groans.

"What do you think you're doing? Lay down," she orders.

 _This is all my fault. I slept with girls that I don't care about, and now she's stuck here in a hospital room for days on end._

"I'm really sorry about all this," he sighs.

"It's okay," Rory says.

"No, it's not okay. I was showing off. I knew it wasn't safe from that cliff." _Going alone when I hadn't listened to any of the training. I needed to prove to everyone, myself included, that I would be fine on my own without you._ "I was so drunk, I'm lucky I pulled my chute at all."

"You're going to be fine," she reassures him. "And I will be here as long as you want me to be. I've located the gift shop and the 'good' cafeteria- 'good' being a relative term. And the maternity ward. In case I wanna play a little practical joke. Swap the newborns around."

He laughs, but feels guilty. "What about the paper, school?"

"I have my laptop. I can stay on top of my school work. And Bill can run the paper for a while."

"I don't want you to fall behind. I don't want you to miss too many classes. You already have more than enough to do…" _without taking care of an idiot like me._

"Shh. Logan, just relax. I'll be here."

 _God, I am so lucky._ "I'm glad."

"So how are you feeling?" she asks.

"Like shit," he laughs. "I can't really remember what happened. But I know I hurt."

"Obviously all of my information is second-hand, and Colin and Finn are morons, but the gist is that your parachute malfunctioned. It only opened on one side, which threw you backward instead of forward. You hit the side of the cliff, but got your emergency chute pulled somehow. Colin had this whole ridiculous re-enactment, but I've decided that he was trying to be funny because he was so scared. He said they watched you come down in slow motion, and it was terrifying. Finn thought you were dead at first. But they got you into the hospital in Costa Rica pretty fast, and that's where they fixed your lung and set your broken leg."

"Oh God. How scared should I be of a lung fixed in Costa Rica?"

"Paris actually says that surgery is easy." She makes air quotes. " 'A 3rd year medical student could do it.' The biggest issue was the concussion, and that's why you've been unconscious for so long."

"How did I get _here_?" he asks.

"Well, Nicole's mom is chief of staff here. Apparently, she's former LDB, and she didn't want news of this stunt getting around. You had a _lot_ of drugs and alcohol in your system."

He looks away sheepishly.

"She flew a team down there, and as soon as you were stable, they flew you back here." She pauses for a moment. "Is it my fault… that you were so..."

"No, Rory," he interrupts. "Stop. It is not your fault that I'm an idiot."

She smiles at him, and she is so pretty he can't stand it. _I didn't think I would ever get to see her smile again._

"I really want to kiss you right now," he tells her.

"I think it might hurt," she says, gingerly touching his swollen lip.

"And I don't think my teeth have been brushed in days, so… Tell me about Lane's wedding."

"It was great. Well, except for my mom. But I shouldn't have told you not to come…" she trails off.

"Ace, it's okay. Just tell me the good stuff. I can't promise I won't fall asleep, but I just want to hear you talk."

"Okay. The Korean ceremony was really lovely…"

* * *

Logan wakes up to an orderly placing a food tray in his room. Rory is on her laptop in the chair next to his bed. There are several balloons now outfitting his room.

"You hit the gift shop?" he asks her.

"Hey, you. How are you feeling?"

"Comfortably numb," he replies.

"Ha, ha. Corinne's shift is over, but she told me that tomorrow they're going to wean down your pain meds a little, so enjoy this while it lasts. I just got off the phone with Honor. She is trying to get flights back, but they're hitting some snags. She thinks she will be here tomorrow."

"Shit. She doesn't have to do that. I don't want to ruin her honeymoon."

"Logan, she wants to come. She loves you."

"What about my parents?" he asks. "Has anyone talked to them? I'm sure my dad is so pissed."

"Your mom is at the spa."

Logan smirks. "Of course she is. She's probably smoking like a chimney. And Mitchum?"

"Well…"

"You know what? It's okay," he says. "I wouldn't expect him to be here anyway, and I'm sure he's really busy, so… All that matters is that _you're_ here."

She gets up and walks to his bedside, taking his hand.

"Colin and Finn were here too. And Stephanie. Did you know she's back with Colin? Of course you know. But they'll be back. They went home to get some clothes for us."

"Is that still your dress from the wedding?" he asks.

She nods.

"Rory, you need to go home. This doesn't need to overtake your life."

"Hush. I'm not going anywhere. You need to eat this dinner."

He wrinkles up his nose, and she laughs.

She stays by his bedside, keeping him company, until he falls asleep shortly after dinner.

* * *

The next morning, he wakes up to see his knight being wheeled into the room by Colin and Finn.

"Guys. The knight?"

"Logan! You're awake!" Finn exclaims.

"Yes, well you're dragging a suit of armor into my room."

"We thought it would make it feel more like home," Colin says.

"Thanks, but hopefully I am out of here by the end of the week."

Finn asks, "How are the drugs in here? Rory says you're feeling good."

Logan laughs. "Yeah, I'm fine, but I think they are going to start my detox today."

"Bummer."

Logan doesn't want to be too serious with them, but he has to know. "How bad was it?"

They are both silent for a few moments.

Finally Colin answers. "It was… bad. I just… The way you floated to the ground. There was so much blood... all over your face. Scared the shit out of us. I'm sorry, Logan. We shouldn't have let you jump by yourself."

"Guys, none of this is your fault, okay? I was not in the right mindset, and that's on me. I mean, if the only two people doing something are you and Evan Corbin, you should know you're doing the wrong thing."

"Good point," Finn laughs. "Words to live by."

"Is Rory still here, or did she finally go home?"

"She went to Honor's apartment to shower and change. The doorman was going to let her in. She'll be back soon," Finn tells him.

"Are you two okay now?" Colin asks.

"I think so. Had to nearly kill myself to get there, but… Anyway, did I ruin the trip? Did Seth lose it once his plans got off track?"

"Jesus, he has got such a stick up his ass," Colin says. "I mean, one guy nearly dies, and he acts like something terrible happened."

Logan laughs. _I'm glad these two idiots will never change._

* * *

Various doctors have come in and out through the day. It appears that Rory was right- he is going to be fine. Just some physical therapy and lots of rest.

She has spent the morning working on her own school work and phoning the registrar about his course load. According to her, he has gotten several extensions, and his graduation should not be delayed.

"You are the best. I love you," he tells her sincerely.

"Anytime. If there's one thing I do well, it's strong arming the administration."

He grins at her slyly. "Oh, Ace. You do a lot of things well."

"Only you could make sexual innuendo from a hospital bed." She gets out of her chair and walks to his bedside. "But truthfully, if it weren't for all these cuts and bruises, I might find all of this scruff sexy." She runs her hand over his cheek, lightly scratching at all the facial hair that has grown in during the last week.

"You don't like the bruises? You don't want your boyfriend looking like he lost a bar fight? I guess no more bad boys for you," he teases.

"No," she says softly. "No more bad boys."

He is quiet for a moment. _I have to tell her I know. We can't keep things from each other anymore._

"Which bad boy are you talking about- me or Jess?"

Her mouth drops open. "I'm... talking about you. Why would you think…"

"I know you went to see him," he interrupts her. "You left your phone at home, and he texted you, and I saw it... And then I found the invitation in the mail. I'm not telling you this so you'll feel bad or anything. I just don't want to keep any secrets from you.

And I'm not mad. Well, I'm not happy about it. But I've thought about it. A lot, unfortunately. And... even if you slept with him, I can get over it. I can. I just want to make sure that you think _you_ can get over it. That you're not still into him, and that you can truly forgive me for what I did. Rory, I really thought we were broken up, and I'm so sorry. It will never happen again, and I want you to feel like you can trust me.

Stephanie says I have to give you space and time to be mad at me, and I'm going to try, but I have to know if there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Obviously, I want you back if that's what you want. But I can't share you with him, and if you're only here because you feel bad about my accident, I need you to tell me. Don't stay with me because you… pity me. Or because you feel like you can't dump me while I'm in the hospital.

I want us to be normal and happy again, like we felt before Honor's wedding. Do you think that's possible?"

Her mouth is still open. She is quiet for a moment, looking right into his eyes.

"Well, that was a Rory-level ramble," she finally says grinning.

He can't smile back. He feels like he can't breathe, and it's not because of his chest tube.

"Logan, I'm here because I love you, not because I feel sorry for you. I did go to Philadelphia to see Jess. And I had… intentions. But when it actually came to it, I couldn't do it. As soon as he tried to kiss me, I was out. I'm in love with _you_ , and no matter how mad I am, you're the only one I want to be with."

He finally inhales, and it hurts. He smiles at her so big that his swollen lip splits, and he can taste the metallic tang of blood.

"I feel terrible that you went on this trip thinking I was going to…" she trails off.

"Rory, don't-"

Her phone rings. "It's Bill. Give me just a sec, okay?"

She takes the call and moves out into the hallway.

She is gone for a few minutes. _If I know her, she's probably ripping Bill a new one and picking out junk food at the same time._

His relief is palpable. He smiles and closes his eyes. _She only wants me. We are going to be able to work this out._ _Today is a great day._

"Logan."

He opens his eyes to see his father standing in the door way. _Maybe not such a great day._ "Dad. What are you doing here?"

"You're hurt, and… I wanted to check up on you," Mitchum says.

"Wow. Honor must have laid a huge guilt trip on you."

"No, not… Honor. Are you… okay?"

"Um, yes. I'm okay, but it's going to take me awhile to get back to totally normal," Logan answers.

"But you should be fine in time to go to London?"

 _Unbelievable. That's why he's here._

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, Dad. I'll be fine for London. Thanks for your concern."

Mitchum's face turns red. "Don't give me attitude, Logan. I have a right to know if my employee is going to be able to take a job or not."

"What about your son?"

"Oh, please. You act like I never do anything as your father. Who do you think made sure you always had a school to go to no matter where you got kicked out of? Who kept your record clean even though you have had more than your share of brushes with the law? Who made sure you got into Yale? And who, despite your average GPA, is giving you a job at the third largest media outlet in the country?" Mitchum looks hard at him.

"So maybe I don't hug you enough, but I have always tried to do what I thought was best for you."

 _Fuck, he's right. I hate it when he's right._

"Okay, okay, fair enough. And I guess I don't really need a hug from you," he says sarcastically.

"That's why Rory's here," Mitchum responds, actually smiling. "But seriously, Logan. You have to stop all of this ridiculous Life and Death Brigade horseshit. You are almost 24 years old. When I was 24, I already had a job in the company. I was following Reagan around. I was not doing inane stunts off a mountain top in Costa Rica."

"Okay, Dad… I know. I'm working on it, alright?"

"So, what should I tell your mother?" Mitchum asks him.

"That I'm fine. That I'll see her at graduation," he says. _That's all she wants to hear anyway._

There are a few moments of awkward silence.

"Dad, I know you're busy. Just go. I'll call you when I get back to New Haven, probably around the end of the week. And I'll see you at graduation too."

"Good, good." Mitchum turns to leave. At the door, he turns back around. "And Logan? I'm glad you're going to be okay." He turns and is gone.

 _I cannot believe he came._

A few minutes later, Rory comes back in with a tight smile. "Hey."

"So my dad just left."

"I saw," she says.

"I still can't believe it. He actually visited, and he was only moderately hostile, slightly condescending, and no more self-centered than usual," Logan laughs.

"It's good that he came. Good for him. Are you feeling any better?" she asks.

 _Knowing that you still love me, and you didn't sleep with him?_ "I am... Of course it could have something to do with the 27 different medications they have me jacked up on," he teases.

"I checked with the doctor. It's mostly cough syrup and baby aspirin," she teases back. She tries to keep a smile but it fades fast.

"What's wrong?" he asks, worried. "I'm feeling better."

She just smiles that same tight smile and shakes her head.

"What?" he prompts.

"I'm sorry," Rory says.

"About what?"

"About letting you go on this trip. I should have stopped you. I was just so busy being mad at you. I didn't think I was trying to punish you, but I was trying to punish you." She looks away.

 _No. This is not your fault. If I had been honest right when we got back together…_

"No, Rory."

"I should have stopped you," her voice rises.

"Hey. You couldn't have stopped me. A team of psychiatrists with tranquilizer guns couldn't have stopped me. I was going no matter what. It's my fault."

Rory does not seem convinced.

"Do not feel guilty about this," Logan orders. _This is all on me and my stupid pride and my chemical dependencies._

"I just sent you out that door. I didn't care. I was so cold. I just… I could have lost you."

"You didn't lose me." _You could never lose me._

"But I could have, though," she argues.

He needs to reassure her. "I'm the one screwing things up with us here, not you. I'm sorry you're in the hospital right now. I'm sorry about all of this. Now, I don't know what's going on with me, but I'll get better, okay? Things will calm down. I just need you to bear with me, okay?"

 _I am going to grow up and put you first._

Rory nods sadly.

"Okay?" he presses.

"Okay."

She takes his hand and tousles his hair.

He thinks hard for a moment. _Now is the time. Tell her everything you should have told her before you left._

"From now on Ace, it's you and me. No secrets, no lies, nothing. I love you so much, and I am going to make the next few months the best we've ever had," he tells her. "And Rory, if you still have a hard time trusting me, then just trust _us_ … I mean… We can do this. We can do anything as long as we're together... We're soulmates."

Rory is silent for a moment, and he internally cringes at using such a cheesy concept.

She finally gives him a genuine smile. "So we were on a break, and now we're lobsters?"

He must look puzzled, because she laughs out loud.

"Come on Huntzberger! Don't let a little head injury destroy your knowledge of pop culture! We're Ross and Rachel. Well, except you're the good-looking one, and I'm kind of the dork."

"Rory! You are not a… well, okay you're a dork, but you're my dork. And I don't think there is a person alive who doesn't think you're gorgeous."

She leans closer and kisses his temple. She puts her forehead on his and lightly kisses his lips. He reaches up and touches her face, deepening the kiss. His lower lip throbs in protest.

"Am I hurting you?" Rory asks.

"Yes. But it's totally worth it." He smirks before pulling her lips back to his and kissing her again. When they finally pull apart, he says "Did the doctor say how long before I can have sex again?"

"Lo-gan! I can't believe you." Rory blushes. " _No_ , he didn't say that... But, umm... I asked Corinne, and she said it's fine as soon as we get home. We just have to be gentle." She is bright red and cannot even look at him.

He laughs. "So it's not just me! Any way we can speed up this check-out?" He pulls her close with his left arm and into his bed.

"What are you doing? I'm going to hurt you!" she says as she settles on the side of the bed.

"No, this is my good side. We're fine." He snuggles her as close as his injuries will allow and pulls her head into the crook of his neck. He closes his eyes, content.

After a moment, his eyes pop back open. "Wait. I can't remember. Did Ross and Rachel end up together?"

"Yes," she whispers sweetly into his chest. "Just like us. You're my lobster, Logan."

He closes his eyes again. "Lobsters, huh? I've always liked lobsters."

* * *

A/N: This is it! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. Please review here and let me know what you thought of the whole story.

I've been using all my creative time living in Logan's head lately, so if there are specific episodes you would like to see my version of Logan in- let me know! I may have a few more in me. And check out my other story, We Were On A Break, if you haven't yet. (shameless plug :))


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